The Yarn is in the Mail

My Yarn Pirate Sock Club box is out the door and is winging its way to me as I speak. I am very excited. I wonder if I am required to keep the bird on my shoulder when I am knitting with YP yarn? I am drawing the line at the peg leg, though. Awaiting new yarn is an excellent motivator for finishing the second "Angelfish" sock. Although I realized that I am already on the 5th fishtail repeat and have forgotten how many I need to match sock 1.

Luckily I brought the yarn for the second "Watermelon Tourmaline" sock and the ball of grey yarn to restart the Italy socks (yes, they did take a dip in the frog pond) to work today. The grey/Italy socks were just not working up like I wanted, so I swatched on bigger needles and I think size 2 (not size 1) DPNs are the way to go. I was concerned I would not have enough yarn to make a pair, and the bigger needles should make it go further. Further, I have re-evaluated having the lace on the instep and think I will put it on the leg only.

7/17 SOS tally: Wild Honey (pair) - done. Watermelon Tourmaline (single) - done. Angelfish (pair) - only final repeat and cuff to go on sock 2, done tonight. Grey/Italy - starting over from scratch.

Soap news: Lambtown is racing towards us and the soap re-stocking has begun. Last night we made 4 batches of soap and I think there are another half dozen waiting in the wings. I made a list of specialty soap to make, and we will be making new and exciting lotion too. Closer to home, we have posted the summer soap class schedule on The Soap Plantation site, and you can still find us every Thursday at Downtown Market Night.

My plans for tonight involve finishing the Angelfish socks and going to the San Diego Zoo, which stays open until 10pm these days for Nighttime Zoo. Getting home at 11:30 seems so early, compared to the bedime hours I have been keeping lately.

Weekends are for Knitting.

There was much knitting progress this weekend. I finished the Watermelon Tourmaline sock on Saturday at our Riverspinners meeting. I also unearthed my swimmy suit and joined the other knitters (and non-knitter) in the pool. It has been far, far too long since I splashed around.

Sunday I started the first "Angelfish" sock. I knit. And knit. And knit. And knit some more. Before I went to sleep, I had a finished sock. Gotta love those size 2 needles. I put the "fish scale lace" pattern up each side of the leg (May 31 from the 365 knitting stitches calendar), and am quite pleased. I started its mate today and was 1/3 of the way through the foot by the time I got to work.

All the morning knitting was done between 6:30 and 7:50, as I took the bus to work after dropping off the car to get evaluated for repairs needed before it will pass its amazingly long overdue smog check.

Mr. Fixit took 3rd in his race and I am quite pleased.

Pat on the Back

I picked up the "Wild Honey" socks last night, sewed down the hems, and worked in the ends. Now they are done, done, done. And the most amazing bit? You won't believe it is me saying this of my own free will... the sewing up was easy and it was fun. I'll wait while you all pick yourselves up off the floor.

Then I managed to crush down the start-itis that was brewing, and worked some more repeats of the "Watermelon Tourmaline" socks. I started them a week ago tonight, and I am really ready to move on to sock #2 of the pair.

If you are in town, you should come to Market Night and make fizzy bath salts with us. It is easy and fun.

Fast and Furious

Progress on the Watermelon Tourmaline socks would be better if I did not have to rip out 3 repeats of the feather and fan pattern last night. Curse you, yarnovers! I am not looking forward to the second sock, for while I adore this yarn and this colorway, I am not a big fan of the row of purls in the F&F pattern. I will knit until I run out of yarn; it should be soon.

And one on the foot...

It's About Time, Too.

The "Wild Honey" socks are (mostly) done. All that is left is to sew down the picot hem (see that line of holes? Those will be adorable picots soon. ) They were lovely to knit and fit like a... sock. Go buy yarn at Cider Moon or the Loopy Ewe.

So Close! Yes, there has been knitting! No, there are still no pictures! I am about 12 rows short of finishing the second "Wild Honey" sock, and then I just have to sew down the hems (they have a picot top). Knitting went speedily when I had a chance to sit and do it on Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon.

I think I will cast on a new pair tonight at Market Night if things are slow (which, of course, I hope they are not), and get the toe done. Which colorway, you ask? I don't know yet. It might be about the right time for "Watermelon Tourmaline" from Stonebarn Fibers (courtesy of the Loopy Ewe, who else??). We will see what ball of yarn floats to the top of the sock yarn bag.

Progress on the gray socks is still slow - I managed a quarter of a round in the drive-thru this afternoon. I am severely worried I will not have enough yarn for 2 regular height socks. I suppose I will just have 2 medium height socks. Or they will go into the frog pond and become a scarf. It will not be torture to knit this yarn over and over, as it is so soft and lofty.

Things with Mr. Fixit are going well, but my knitting time has been severely curtailed (and don't even ask about WoW or Netflix or keeping up with SOS blogs. Way behind on all counts). He leaves for vacation this weekend (wah), but it means that knitting will regain its #1 priority. How many knits would a knitter knit if a knitter could knit knits?

Back to Real Life. I had a wonderful, lazy weekend. There was some knitting, but it was not the all-knitting-all-the-time extravaganza I thought I could pull off. I did finish the first "Wild Honey" sock on Friday night and am well into the foot of sock #2. The gray socks are languishing, poor dears. Perhaps I will show them some love tonight.

Instead of knitting I managed to start the process of making my car extremely spiffy. I got the hood and front sides claybar-ed and waxed, and did half of my first oil change (the easy half, thank goodness). I also managed to spend some very quality time with a friend this weekend and that is never a waste of time that I could spend knitting. Sometimes I can even knit and talk at the same time. Imagine that.

Petsitting continues. I am growing attached to the cat and the dog. And shhhhh, don't tell my dogs that the petsitting dog gets walked. Daily. Sometimes twice. And I enjoy it.

Movies? We watched "Rize", "Definite Article" featuring Eddie Izzard, and did not manage to make it to "Ratatouille", although it is still on the must-watch list.

Why yes, I have been knitting. I am still working on the gray sock (with lace!), and began a second sock out of the Cider Moon "Wild Honey" colorway. I am forgoing a lace pattern on this one - the colors are so beautiful and striking on their own, and it makes a good "take anywhere" sock because I am not constantly checking a chart. I still did a lot of explaining how a provisional cast on toe-up sock comes together (I am using Wendy's generic sock pattern). People are amazed. I will make an effort at pictures tomorrow.

I had an excellent time at the AGSEM this weekend and only got a little sunburned. At movie night we watched "The World's Fastest Indian" with Anthony Hopkins and it was indeed a heartwarming tale. There were some close calls, though! It was a beautiful clear, chilly night with an intensely bright half moon, and it felt nice to be out in the open air, snuggled in a blanket, there at the tractor drive in.

Not much else to report here at the moment. There are some things in the background that are not ready for blog publication yet, however. Tonight's big excitement is getting the car washed and my hair cut. Woo.

Pick of the Day: "Solsbury Hill" by Peter Gabriel. I am listening to "shaking the tree" (a best-of CD), and am so in love with this song.


I have been knitting away on the Zarina sock. I am putting lace up the instep, and am using "lacy diamonds" as the pattern. It is July 29 on the 365 knitting stitches perpetual calendar. Have I mentioned how much I adore this yarn? It is lovely.


Last night I sat down with every intention of knitting from 7 until bedtime. I put "Rize" in the dvd player, and spent the next hour absolutely mesmerized (and not knitting). It is a documentary style film about a dance style in the "ghettos" of greater Los Angeles. It was so far out of my realm of experience, and these young people (jeez I am getting old) were so talented, that I could not look away. Every time I thought to myself, ok they have talked this part of the subject to death, the story would move right along to the next point, which was nice of them. I recommend it to anyone who wants a change of pace (if you are a boring white girl like me). It was really quite interesting, enlightening and entertaining.


Then I put in a Law & Order disc and was back in my element :)

Remember how I was in love with the HBO show "Carnivale" a few months back? You know how I adore the Steam Engine Museum? Check this out and be amazed and impressed. I was! http://www.agsem.com/carnivale.html

One Toe. That is my knitting progress so far today (all at lunchtime). I am pleased. This yarn is amazing (the label says Zarina, Filatura di Crosa, and Merino - extrafine). It is soft soft soft, and squashy, and very round (it is a cable of 4 2ply yarns). It is so luxurious to knit with that it is hard to knit at top speed. I keep slowing down and closing my eyes. My boss chose well when she brought two balls of it back from Italy with her.

Tonight we are not going to be at Market Night, so I am going sundress shopping (it is summer, after all) and then I am going to knit into the wee hours. Last night I finished spinning up the "peachy" merino / tencel roving and watched Eddie Izzard "Unrepeatable" (1994). It was great.

I have had the BEST week. I can't wait for this weekend, and yet I also love looking forward to the weekend so much that I hope it takes its time getting here.

10 1/2. That's how many hours until I can start knitting for the SOS. I have stocked up on Loopy Ewe yarns, Knit N Stitch yarns, yarn from Italy that my boss brought me, yarn from the stash and my birthday present was a membership to the Yarn Pirate sock club, so I should be set. I have been winding balls all week (I wind by hand) and making gauge swatches over the last two days. I have spinning on the spinning wheel that can be made into socks at a moment's notice. There are fleeces in the closet if I get desparate.

Darling Wendy is having a contest for folks to guess how many pairs of socks she will make over the summer. I have sent in my guess, although by September I will never want to see another skein of sock yarn again. Maybe that is the real way to restrict yarn buying - overdosing.

My official "Knit This" sock list:

• Zarina superfine merino "gray"
• Mountain Colors (for M) "Tamarack"
• Marks & Kattens Clown socks (for C)
• "Watermelon Tourmaline" from Stone Barn Fibers
• "Saffron" from Sweet Georgia
• "Painted Desert" from Stone Barn Fibers
• "Peppermint Mocha" from Claudia
• "Wild Clover" from Cider Moon
• Online Supersock
• Pink socks (for K)

Wish me luck!

Miss Popularity. That's me.

We had a nice weekend at the AGSEM last weekend. The weather was beautiful, the chili dogs just kept coming, the spinning was easy (wound off another 800 yards of yarn to dye), and life was good. If I was less uptight, I would be bouncing up and down in my chair asking "how soon til we go back?" over and over. 3 more days. Only 3 more days. Loopy (from the Loopy Ewe) had his picture taken with Abraham Lincoln for the "take Loopy on Vacation" contest. Who is more famous than Abraham Lincoln??

The Summer of Socks begins on Thursday at 5am Eastern (that's 2am Pacific for me) and I am in the blocks, waiting to knit. Last week I matched stitch patterns to colorways, last night was spent winding skeins of yarn into balls of yarn, this morning I started on the gauge swatches. It is going to be all knitting all the time at my house. And in the car, and at work, and at lunch, and at market night. My goal is 12 pairs in 12 weeks. It's a big goal. But I really like knitting.

Watched "Van Helsing" finally... it was ok. It went better when I remembered that I queued it up because David Wenham (swoon) is in it, but really I just only looked up from my ball winding when I heard his voice. Eddie Izzard should be waiting in my mailbox tonight. A good thing too, because I don't think I can knit and laugh at the same time. I can, however, spin and laugh and wind balls of sock yarn and laugh.

Ta Da! The Mermaid scarf is done! I have not blocked it yet though (I needed to sleep on my bed last night instead of dry lace on it). It is called the Mermaid because of the fishtail lace borders and the "foaming waves" center panel. I will add some sort of edging on the other side of the fishtails when I write up the pattern.

This is a small section. I love the way the colors undulate across the width of the scarf.

I am quite tickled.

So Much Fun, so Little Laundry.

I stayed at the coffee place, playing WoW, for an embarassingly long time last night. But I bought my coffee, no one asked me if I was leaving soon, and the woman on the other side of the room was there before and after me. I am on my way to taming a pet (and you know how I like pets), I finally joined a group, and it was only a little intimidating. It sure is easier to kill things when there are 3 people. I made sure to leave the computer unplugged last night and today so that it will not be tempted to skip yoga and play WoW instead. I miss yoga.

When I came home, I watched "National Treasure" with Nick Cage and Sean Bean. That's Boromir to you hip people. I am only on the edge of hip, because it took me 2 hours to place his face. Anyway, it was an entertaining romp, but not high art. I enjoy the Dan Brown and Clive Cussler books more.

I have a picture of the cotton samples from the weekend for you:

From the top, that is navajo (chain) plied organic brown cotton (courtesy of Eileen - when I tried it broke and broke and broke), organic brown cotton singles, 50%cotton 50%wool blend singles, Upland cotton singles, and a dyed cotton singles. That is also the order that the samples were covered in the class. The brown cotton was my favorite. It looks just like all that camel down I was spinning earlier this year. The upland cotton, which does NOT come from Upland, was my least favorite. I think it was the preparation (draw sliver) that was my stumbling block. Or maybe because it was the 3rd sample and I was getting tired and frustrated.

Altogether, I am inordinately proud of my little heap of skeins. I made 2 skeins of angora yesterday at the Lace In, and then last night I worked on the dyed pink cotton a little bit. Again, it was late and I was tired, so it isn't very even, but at least I sat down and practiced.

The plan for today - have a GREAT day at work (affirmations, people), do some laundry, go to yoga in evening, and practice on the charkha at some point. I don't want to hear any comments about my lack of knitting progress.

The Best Weekend Since October 1998.

The cotton spinning workshop, with Eileen Hallman (New World Textiles) on Saturday was GREAT. The students had fun, the teacher was happy, everybody was able to spin by the end, and lunch was a success. Ruth lent me her camera and I took oodles of pictures which came out well. I purchased Eileen's dvd for further lessons, a special shuttle for weaving with the freshly spun threads, and some replacement spindles as mine are crap. I cannot thank enough everybody who participated, who had a great time, who brought or helped eat the snacks, and who stayed to tidy up after eventhoughyoudidn'thaveto. I can hardly wait to do this again with the advanced class!

Afterward, Anne, her fiancee Scott, and I went out for Thai food for a belated birthday dinner. We shared ginger delight and yellow curry *mmmm* It is called Best Thai for a reason (1735 Spruce St, Riverside, CA *cash only*). Then it was back to the house for presents - Scott got two knitting books and I got two knitting books which are FABULOUS. I had this crazy grin all evening. I got home about 9, put in the "spinning on a charkha" dvd and fell asleep to it. A good day.

Today was great too. I went to the Lace In hosted by the Hedgehog Lacers bobbin lace guild. I did not take any classes, but rather manned the soap booth and practiced spinning on my charkha. Cleverly, I left behind the cotton I meant to spin today. I found some angora (rabbit) fiber and spun up a couple skeins of that. Everything went well until I hit matted spots - then it was a bear to draft. It was great to see all my bobbin lace buddies AND people bought soap. Randy made up some really neat Goat's Milk - Honey - Oatmeal soap that was gorgeous and sold out quickly.

No knitting progress to report, but I will try to post pictures of the weekend's completed skeins tomorrow. Right now I am going to play a little WoW and then watch my accumulated Netflix - "Ray" and "National Treasure". What a double feature!

Walking on Sunshine... or maybe just stepping on her tail. No new knitting progress to report today, friends. Yesterday I managed to limp through the work day, play a little World of Warcraft, go to yoga and meditation, and go to bed.

Today is going a bit better than the rest of the week - maybe I got a little closer to my center yesterday at meditation. I am always so glad when I stay. And last night 20 minutes did not seem all that long. I love it when Micah gives us a little speech before we start and we all compare notes afterward. It makes me realize that the things I feel / think are normal and I am right on track.

Tonight you can find The Soap Plantation booth at our Downtown Market Night (in front of the California Building) and also over in the ballroom of the Life Arts Building as part of the Riverside Arts Walk. Get out! Smell some soap! Go check out Kelly and Gil's pictures of Africa!

Home Again, Home Again. We are back from Scottsdale and the soaply festivities. We had a really successful show - met great people, saw some great presentations and got fired up again about the bath and body business, sold some soap, and knit like the wind. We have some big ideas for the Soap Plantation in the next few months.

We wandered by the Grand Canyon Deer Farm outside Watkins / Flagstaff on Monday and fed the deer. It was a good time. They had a baby reindeer which totally made my weekend. I asked after the llama's fleeces, but they are already going to a spinner.

I loved driving through the desert (or, more accurately, watching the desert pass by through the passenger window) - California desert, Sonoran Desert, the pine trees in Flagstaff, the just plain desert in Barstow. The saguaros were blooming, the air was clear, and it was pleasantly warm (for those of you who know me, you will know this means it was around 100). I even saw quail around the hotel where the convention was. They are just too cute for words, with their little topknots and very determined manner of walking.

Progress on the mystery scarf project was satisfying and rapid. I never want to knit anything but fingering weight cashmere forever. I will be so sad when this project is done - but I can't wait to wear my scarf now that Air Conditioning Season is upon us. I really will post a picture someday.

Progress on poor Icarus was slower - the yarn is too fine for knitting while the car is moving and the cobweb weight merino was too scratchy (!) after a whole day of knitting with cashmere. I want it done and displayed over at Knit N Stitch soon, so I will be getting back to it shortly.

School is DONE for the semester. I took my final exam tonight and did okay - okay for someone who did not study because she was at a soap convention. I am taking the summer off and then I will see about fall.

Netflixing has also been slow (see the excuse I used for school), but I managed to finish "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest". I was watching, paying attention, covered in cats, and when I said to myself, finally! now we are getting to the heart of the movie! the credits started rolling. It seems that #2 is just a lot of set up for #3. Luckily I have gift certificates and a theater across the street. I will go see it soon - Thursday perhaps.

Welcome to Tuesday. I am posting to you live from beautiful downton Riverside's Jury Assembly room. Can't bring my knitting, but I can bring my laptop. How funny is that?

I had a very easygoing weekend - the kind I really wanted. I am trying to resist feeling guilty for getting nothing "useful" done. I did go to a soap show Saturday, made some soap on Sunday, did do some laundry yesterday, and I did knit a few repeats of a lace scarf of my own design. Pictures tomorrow, or tonight if I can get my home scanner fired up and connected. No, not pictures of the laundry. You crazy people.

I was tagged by Rose to do a quizzy thing... it is totally not fair to tag me because I don't know any other (not hugely famous and above me) bloggers. While I figure out who tag (or if), here are 7 random (hopefully interesting) things about me:

1) I can't stand not to have work or projects in progress. I have no ability to finish all of my tasks and have nothing pending for tomorrow.
2) I have to put on my seatbelt as soon as I get in a car, before starting it or backing out of the spot / driveway. It feels so wierd to even go around the block without it.
3) The more people yell at me, the more I try not to offend them.
4) This is a trait I share with one of my dogs. It drives me crazy when she does it.
5) I am against the death penalty.
6) I would rather sleep in than get up early, but when I do get up early, I always wonder why I don't do it more often.
7) I just got called to go to a courtroom. Just this second. Wish me luck!

*edit* so I got called at 9:20 or so, and they kept my group on hold until about 11. Then we got to break for lunch until 2. I had some chinese food, read my book, did a little emailing, and then went back in at 12 ish to play on the laptop (which was being balky). At 1:30, the lady at the counter mentioned that my group's case had been continued at 11:30 and we should hit the bricks. Wheee! So now I am at the coffee place, WITH MY KNITTING, and am about to play a little WoW. I should keep track of how often I die. Maybe I can set a record.

Socking it to Myself! I finished the Regia socks last night at knitting (wiggles toes) and am wearing them today, even though I have not worked in the ends. Neener Neener Neener. No more socks for me until the Summer of Socks starts.

While I was there we discussed the 2007 Knit N Stitch Fall Knitting Retreat and I am looking forward to it (and hoping I can get the days off). We have big plans for a toe-up sock knitting class. Keep September 24-26 free!

In celebration of having another F(inished) O(bject), I tried to cast on for the Rona shawl from Knitpicks. I don't know who thought up "cast on 6 stitches, arrange on DPNs, knit one row", but s/he needs to either have her head examined or come over here and do the first 5 rows for me. Anybody think I can knit it from the outside in? It is going back in its drawer and Icarus is coming to math class again tonight. Icarus might get very big, as I have no idea how many repeats I have done / should do of chart 1. I will look tonight at the directions. Maybe. I am pretty happy just knitting away.

Continuing in the depressing movie vein, Netflix told me that the next disc of Law&Order: SVU will be arriving tomorrow. I think I need to go watch Pirates of the Caribbean 2 tonight and PoC 3 tomorrow at the theater. I have a stack of gift certificates somewhere.

Today Wendy had the cutest picture of Lucy that I have ever seen. Go check her out!

Almost Done for Today. I am ready for a vacation. No work, no soap, no yoga, no pets, no house, no car, no spinning, no knitting, no school. Just me and a case of Guinness. Just really, really tired. All those things are things I choose and enjoy, but I am ready for a short break.

Knitting: Icarus grew quite a lot last night in math class - half a repeat! I am still in love with the pattern and the fine yarn, although the green-ness of it is wearing on me. It is just barely all the wrong shades of green. It is going to look great when it is done, though.

Netflix: Finally got around to watching "Grave of the Fireflies". It is very well done, but wow, is it sad. If you saw "Nobody Knows", it is along the same lines. Moving, disturbing, sad, not a good choice for late night viewing. There are some cute and funny parts to balance, so all was not lost. Also at home are "Becket" and "The Prestige" - it might be time to watch something funny to give myself a break!

Good Girl. I had my oral surgery recheck this afternoon and he said that everything is healing really nicely. He said not to worry about the things I was worrying about, as the gums can take 2-3 weeks to heal completely. One of the techs asked how it went, and I said "I don't remember it, so that must be good!"

Not much else to report today. They had me in and out before I could even start some Waiting Room Knitting. Let me send you to some other fun sites: The Yarn Pirate has updated her shop (buy it please, so I don't), and I saw a fun link on mellowtrouble's site. It is an animated version of the Bayeux Tapestry.

I finished watching The Illusionist this weekend. I really liked it. It is a bad knitting movie, however, as it requires one's (well, my) full attention in order to try to figure out the details of the plot. And Mr. Norton is easy on the eyes. I think that "Beckett" is somewhere in the stack of mail on the dryer, and then "The Prestige" is coming after that. Whee!

Sorry to be away so long... Whenever I managed to find the time, Blogger was down. I have managed to tap into a wifi signal from home (at long last), so am posting from the comfort of bed. How indulgent!

Knitting is progressing slowly. I am nearly ready to bind off the Regia socks - they were my saving grace during The World's Most Boring Math Class last week. So many urges to stab people with my DPNs. But that would be wrong, and more importantly, might break the needles.

Icarus is also growing. I managed a few more rows on Friday night at Open Spinning/Knitting, as it was the first large block of time I had when I was not also on Vicodin. If I can find my size 4 DPNs, I am also gearing up to start the Rona shawl from Knit Picks. It's a pretty big if, though.

I was mulling over the Summer of Socks and have made a list of all the stash sock yarns, the people on my to knit for list, and the types of techniques I want to try / have been avoiding, and came up with 12 pairs of socks to make during that 3 months. I don't know that I will manage it, but I figured if was going to sign up for the "most socks" contest, I should have a plan going in. I am also going to hold off making any more socks until the Summer starts.

Mandy says that only gives me a month to finish Icarus. I say, game on!

As you know, I had my wisdom teeth out last week and things have been very non-eventful in the recovery department. I am pleased. My checkup is Monday, let's see if the dentist is also pleased. I can hardly wait to have a celabratory Dr. Pepper when I am all healed up.

Soap News
Our next event is at Valley Center Western Days this weekend (May 25, 26, and 27). We have made up some brand-spanking-new soaps for this event and are looking forward to having a great time.

Then the very next weekend we will be in Scottsdale, AZ at the Arizona Gathering of Soap and Candle Artisans. We will be selling soap and giving demonstrations.

The lovely Sheri at The Loopy Ewe will be carrying our little soap lambs in Loopy Lemon and Loopy Lavender - keep an eye out for them!

And don't forget, you can find us every Thursday at Riverside's Market Night, it's not just for Wednesdays anymore! Each week we have soap, lotion, spinning fiber and yarn, and we invite you to stop and smell the soaps!

I am Feeling Ambitious Today.

The Loopy Ewe reveal has occurred and I am pleased as punch at the warm reception our little Lemon Lambs have received. I have big dreams for taking over knitters' soapdishes everywhere *bwahahaha*

I got a box in the mail last night and inside was this:
Claudia Hanpainted Yarn in "Peppermint Mocha", purchased from The Loopy Ewe. This is the yarn my boss chose to be my "thank you" for working on the weekend a couple weeks ago and for struggling thru a big project here at work last week. I got two skeins (enough for a pair of socks) and just want to sit here and pet it. It is soft and squashy and really gorgeous. See? Checking every 5 minutes for the Sneak Up really does work!

Last week I had a big adventure when I had to go to LA for a class for work. I took the train to Union Station, the subway to 7th, and the bus to my destination (and back again). It was all very exciting. I particularly liked the poster I saw on the subway of a handsome man in a suit knitting a hot pink scarf with boucle yarn. It was an ad for getting a lot done on one's commute and it made me smile. I would have pulled out my sock and worked on it, except I was only going 2 stops.

I worked on both the Regia sock #2 and Icarus that day (last Thursday), but have no new knitting progress to report. I have been afraid to knit while I am taking Vicodin (for my wisdom teeth extraction). I am feeling so much better that I had ziti for lunch. Little tiny bites is the answer. And I am NOT using a straw to drink with. (I forgot to post a link to Ruthie Pie's website yesterday. It is The Dizzy Ewe.)

We have a soap show coming up in Riverside this weekend (Saturday the 19th) at an event hosted by the Old Riverside Foundation. We will have soap, fiber, yarn, and more soap. Come on by and say "Hi!". There is no charge to look around at the vendors.

Not Dead Yet. Sorry to be gone so long! I had a big adventure this weekend - I had my wisdom teeth out on Saturday. I am feeling better now. I was under house arrest this weekend, ordered to sleep all I wanted and then some. The Downside? No laundry, no cleaning, no WoWing, no homework, and no knitting. The upside? All the chocolate pudding I could stand. It was so nice, I am thinking about having my tonsils out just for the unlimited ice cream. I was amazingly anxious about it all week, but everything has been easy peasy so far.

Big giant hugs to Mandy and Ruthie Pie for Lisa-sitting!!!!!

All the excitement, all at one time. Why spread it out? So I went to the dentist today, and on Saturday I am having my wisdom teeth out. I have avoided this for 15 years and Saturday is the day. So soon! The time slot was open and the price was right. I barely get over this shock, when I go to school tonight (a snoozefest by the way) and the professor tells us that the exam is on Tuesday. Like, next Tuesday. Like, I am sooooo requesting a medical delay. I feel bad for the prof some days - when the term started he had to restrict the class size to 50 and turn away something like a dozen people. Nowadays we have maybe 10 who come to class. Tonight we covered yet more radicals and then imaginary numbers (which are not radical. they are just plain)

I did however get quite a bit of Icarus done tonight - nearly an entire increase. It is already growing to the size where purling back makes my hands hurt. It's a good pain because it means I am just that much closer to being done. Woo!

Randy Rocks. The laptop is up and running and I am beaming from ear to ear. Or I would be, if I weren't in the office pretending to be cool.

The birthday weekend went well. I got some fun ecards, we had a nice dinner with a dishy waiter at Outback, and my new epiphyllum bloomed last night.

Icarus is growing by leaps and bounds. I had my first tinking session with it last night - a row and a half to uncross a twisted stitch. I tried and tried to figure out how to drop the stitch and fix it, but it did not reveal itself to me until the tinking fairy came. Sigh. But I was watching Clive Owen on the tv, so it was OK. There would be a picture today except that I mananged to leave the project bag at home.

Tonight I am skipping yoga and installing myself down at the coffeeshop. I am going to do some algebra homework and then play a little WoW.

I went by Knit N Stitch last night for spinning and knitting night. It was a good time. I have a "for sale" post today - a woman came in to the shop looking to sell her spinning wheel:

This is a scan of the photo, sorry it is a bit grainy. The back of the photo says "antique spinning wheel 1880-1890". Apparently they had an appraiser come out to determine age and value. The asking price is $1,200. The wheel resides in Lake Havasu and if you are interested, please call Linda at Knit N Stitch at (951) 684-7632 for more information.


It's a bird! It's a plane! It's an Icarus! I was generously gifted a skein of laceweight (cobweb?) yarn and promptly cast on for Icarus by Miriam Felton. It will serve a threefold purpose - satisfying my need to knit lace, my need to have Icarus, and we will show it in the store with the issue of Interweave Knits where it is featured (or the upcoming lace book for which Icarus is the cover shot) and hopefully prompt more lace knitting in our little town. And maybe, just maybe, a visit by the M herself. Those adorable stitch markers came from my friend Marti, who made them for me for Christmas. I love them. L-O-V-E them. And they match so nicely!
I am test driving the Addi Turbo Lace needles for the store. I knit with bamboo needles almost esclusively, so these metal ones are a big change for me. So far (9 rows in) I like them very much. They are pointy, smooth, but not so slick I drop all the stitches if I sneeze. The join with the cable is quite smooth.

Excuse me. I need to knit now.

Summer o' Socks. I saw this on Wendy's Blog and joined with alacrity. I forsee a lot of spinning in my future. I signed up for the "most socks" contest.

Quiet here today - I like work so much better when I spend the day not working. I knit on the Regia socks last night during math and today at lunch - knit the entire foot last night and the heel at lunch. I would like to wear them on Saturday for my birthday. Remember being little and getting a new outfit / all dressed up for your party? There were some pretty dresses in my past. However, I will never be 9 again.

I got a "free month of Netflix" ad in my email the other day. If anyone is interested, email me or post a comment and I will forward to you and spread the addiction. And you can always cancel after your free month!

Happy Tuesday! Except for being at work, today has been a great day. Got up on time (well, mostly), made it to yoga by 6:15, the studio was open and I didn't chicken out. It was really wierd practicing on my own - I felt like everyone was going to laugh and point if I did a pose funny or did them in the wrong order. Fortunately, neither of those things occurred. I missed a couple poses and rushed some that I don't like very much, but did the whole first series and still made it to work on time. Early, even!! I will have to overcome the "I don't want to be here, I really want to go back to bed" syndrome, but I really DO want to be there and it will pay off.

I knitted a little on the 2nd Regia sock at lunch today, and have discovered I am bored with stockinette knitted in the round. I am also bored with ribbing. I see a lace shawl in my very near future.

Weekends are for relaxing... or so I am told.

First - the knitting progress:

The first Regia sock is done and fits fine. I folded the top over so it would fit on the scanner :) It is not nearly as tall when it is on my foot / leg. I think my homework for this week is to make a pair of sock blockers for photo purposes. Sock 1 was finished at an impromptu knitting night on Friday. It was nice, we sat outside, I had a good coffee drink (that was free because they made it wrong the first time)(and they threw out the first one before I could stop them wasting it), and I finished one sock and began its mate. The fabric is really soft and snug. The ribbing is 3x3, which I don't usually use, but I think my legs have gotten thinner, and I haven't gotten around to measuring them lately, so I said "all ribbing, all the time" so that they will stick to my legs instead of puddle around my ankles in stockinette. The next socks (as yet unplanned, sock yarn as yet unspun) will be some sort of solid or mostly solid with a lace pattern. Or maybe I will finally tackle the mystery of fair isle. Do not speak to me of the peppermint socks. They are not abandoned. They are aging. Like 12 year old whisky.

That was really it for major knitting. Saturday I went to yoga in the morning, work in the afternoon, and then the rest of the day was just shot. I watched some tv, I tried to knit, I thought about spinning. I watched Mission Impossible: III and Waking Ned Devine this weekend. MI:III was alright, and WND was funny and sweet as always.

Sunday I missed yoga due to a laundry emergency. When will I figure out all the different parts of an outfit that have to be worn each day, and put them ALL in the dryer at the same time? Then I went to M's, dangled my feet in the pool, knitted sock 2, found out that bamboo needles float, made soap - lots of soap - and dyed some yarn. It needs to be rinsed today. I am quite pleased with it. Came home in the afternoon, did some more laundry, tidied in the kitchen, tidied in the backyard (in the vain hope that the neighbors would be gone for one stinking day in the last 5 years so I could sit out there peacefully), tidied in the front yard, and made some dinner. whew! It was a lot of tidying, but it felt good to make some more progress. Took Dozer for a walk in the evening and got myself a root beer float as a reward. Did a little more spinning while waiting for the laundry, watched some Monty Python, and made it to bed at a reasonable hour.

I made it to yoga by .... 6 a m this morning. Oh my gosh. So early. There was no one there, so I knitted a while, left about 6:30 to get some gas, drove to work, cleaned Fishy IV's tank, and will have to get to work in about one second. I figured there was no point in going back to sleep for an hour. Today I have to take this proposal to UCLA and swing by Santa Monica, and then it is yoga and massage night. I am a happy girl.

Knitting Mojo, and a New Addition.

My friend Rose has been knitting and knitting and knitting, and now Thermal is done. Check it out! I love it so much that now I want one. I will have to get spinning. Why do I yearn for sweaters in the spring and summer?

We (The Soap Plantation) had a great time at the Citrus Station show last weekend. The weather was nice, the people were nice, the food was nice, and I spun and spun and spun until my butt said "Stop!". I started the plying at home that night and hope to have dyed sockweight yarn for display next week.

So many folks tried to buy my personal pair of fingerless mitts, that I am going to start making them all the time. These, however, are the sister pair to the ones I made for my grandma and have great sentimental value!

Speaking of sentimental value, I am sad to report that a family friend passed away last week. He was really hurting and wanted to go, but that doesn't mean we don't miss him. He was kind enough to leave me his mother's spinning wheel, and I picked it up last week. It is really gorgeous, all there, with distaff and everything. Pictures soon, I hope. The flyer will have to go off to the repairman, but otherwise it works fine. Every time I look at it and use it, I will be reminded of Jim's gentleness, humor, and sweet spirit. Thanks, Jim.

Not much in other (publishable) news... we have been making soap like madwomen and updating the soap blog and the website as fast as our little fingers will go. I will fiddle later and see if I can post our show schedule on my sidebar.

On the movie front, I was sorely disappointed in Alexander. I rented it for Johnathan Rhys-Meyers, and while he was fine, he did not have nearly enough screen time. Wah. At home now is Nausicaa ofthe Valley of the Winds.

That is all for today, friends. Happy knitting!

For your consideration... Hand painted rovings, 4oz batches, in silky smooth Merino-Tencel and happy fluffy Blue Faced Leicester. ***Edit*** There is plenty left! I have added prices and weights.

Rose Garden 2 (Merino-Tencel) 4oz $24
Parrotfish (Merin0-Tencel) 4oz $24

Lavender (Merino-Tencel) 4oz $24

Aster (Merino-Tencel) 4oz $24

Rose Garden 2 (Blue Faced Leicester) 4oz $20

Lavender (Blue Faced Leicester) 4oz $20

Aster (Blue Faced Leicester) 4oz $20

Anything left by Monday will be for sale. Woo! Please email me at sleepingfox16ATyahooDOTcom if you are interested. Thanks for looking!

A Whole Chicken is a Scary Thing.

I had a nice little Wednesday, actually. Made it through work (the less said, the better), raced home and to the library to return books, had a spinning student at spinning class, and had a lovely time at yoga. My back popped back into place at long last! This is good news for me, and better news for my friends, who are sick of hearing about it. I am moving cautiously today.

But back to the bird. I have been jonesing for chicken & dumplings for a while now. I went to the store, I acquired the ingredients, I spruced up the stock pot, and last night was the night. With "The Joy of Cooking" at my side, I did the appropriate whole-chicken-cleaning dance. There are things that need removing, none of which are labelled "for my convenience", there is the theme to "Sledgehammer" running through my head, the 2 dogs suddenly turn into 20 dogs, all wanting to "help". I need the chicken for people who took drafting instead of home ec. Somehow I managed and wrassled it into the pot, browned the bird, chopped veggies, discovered all my garlic has sprouted, and simmered late into the night.

While that was happening in the kitchen, I watched "Lost" and did a little knitting on my new sock. "Lost" has really perked up over the last two episodes. I far prefer the adventuring to the relationship crap. I really, really hope it makes it to season 4. The sock does too (although it is taking a nap right now. We were watching the movie until after 1am, and I already woke it up to knit at lunchtime today)

I checked on my chicken, returned to my sock, and started a new movie about 11pm... The choices were "Alexander" (2 hr 47 min), or "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" (102min). I chose the short one. Now, you and I know I have been looking forward to this movie for many, many days now. I have discussed the dishyness of the two leads, I have declared that I would not be accessible by phone, email, or act of god when I was watching it, and I fed the dogs in their kennel to keep them quiet(er). My sock and I settled in... and were unimpressed. Poor Johnathyn Rhys-Meyers (while dishy) dies in the first 15 minutes or so, disturbingly. The entire rest of the movie is his brother's (Clive Owen) quest to avenge his death, which means you are not allowed to forget the cause, although both the sock and I were shocked and saddened. Watching Clive Owen for the next 92 minutes should make up for this, yes? NO. Poor Mr. C looked like the Wild Man of Borneo - all long scraggy hair and uber-beard. I thought it was Desmond from Lost and dropped my knitting when he spoke and Mr C's voice came out. There is a long stretch in the middle where nothing happens in a very dark and wet England (will the sun ever shine again? Could they only afford streetlights?), and then the last 10 minutes or so makes up for the rest of the film. Far too short a time to truly enjoy the return to dishyness and extremely nice suit. All in all, Billy the Budgie was my favorite character.

You want more knitting content? I think I love the new sock. I am not sure. It is more white and sparkly in person. The yarn is nice and soft, not very splitty, and the fabric feels good. I worry that it (the fabric) is a little loose, but I am getting 8st/in on # 1 needles, which is just about right. Going down to #0 would be overkill. That, and my only set of #0 are already in the peppermint socks, planning the overthrow of the new project that pushed them back down the queue. It is Regia Bamboo, color 1064.

The best laid plans... I have recovered from the weekend and have some "Did"s and some "Did Not"s to share. I DID get some fiber dyed in some new colorways and in some replacement colorways. It will be ready in time for the show at the Citrus Station. Anything that is left will go on the ebay store - I'll post a link.

I did NOT watch either of my Clive Owen movies (although I had a dream about Johnathan Rhys-Meyers) as I was busy busy busy this weekend. Last night I did find time for 2 episodes of Nature, however. I learned all about African Black Eagles and Rhinos. Quiz me, I dare ya.

I DID go to the Huntington with another RiverSpinner and we had a nice time. We saw about a half a zillion lizards, the roses were blooming, we got sucked in by plant sale ("The Gauntlet"), and even got some spinning and knitting done. Imagine that! I came home with a sunburned nose, an alpine strawberry plant and a variegated lemon thyme plant. I would call the day a success. We even saw sheep! We were lost at the time, but they were certainly sheep. I melted into a bubble bath when I got home and called the rest of the day "Naptime". I did NOT make it to the Kirtan at Inland yoga, but I was really done for the day.

I had a lovely time at yoga on Sunday - even managed to zing Scott (in a kind, friendly way, of course), but of course I can't remember it now. I also managed to wrap in a pose I never wrapped in before (one of the forward bends in half lotus - with a very long name) which made me happy. Then it was off to Fran's house for a bobbin lace afternoon. I made good progress on my moon -- 4 entire arches. That doubles the number of arches I had finished and brings me to 1/3 done with that section. I am very pleased. I would like to provide a picture, but you would not believe how hard it is to flip one's bobbin lace pillow upside down and slap it on the scanner :)

I did NOT get any knitting done. Not one stitch. I did a little bit of planning more projects and I think one of them will be Miriam Felton (MimKnits)'s Icarus shawl. I just need to find some yarn for it now. I spindled a little bit of baby camel down, but there is only 1/2 oz of that, not nearly enough (for me) to make the 900 yards I will need.

The peppermint socks did not see the light of day this weekend. They will however see the flickering lights of my math classroom tomorrow when school is back in session (wah). I am knitting the leg using the Entrelac technique, which is made up of interlocking boxes of knit stitches. One can find basic flat entrelac patterns all over the world (I like "How to Knit" by Debbie Bliss), but I found guidance for in-the-round entrelac knitting in the newest Interweave Knits, where Eunny Jang's entrelac socks are featured. I am using a relatively fine yarn on size 0 needles, which makes for a lot of squinting. Pictures when I have some progress.

Back just in time for the weekend. Such a busy week at work, no time to blog. I should hang out at the library more! I have some upcoming events to announce:

• The Riverspinners are going to The Huntington Musuem and Gardens for our April meeting. I am hoping to have some activities for us to enjoy; we'll see how today goes. I am excited to see the new Chinese Garden, which I understand is at least partially open now. I also like to visit the koi and turtles and check out the herb garden. I am going to bring a drop spindle and generally soak up the day. We are meeting at the studio at 8:45 - 9am on Saturday if you are interested.


• The Soap Plantation will be at The Citrus Heritage Celebration on April 21st, with soap and wool to spare. We will have soap kits, ready made soap, lotion, body wash, handdyed roving and yarn, a spinning demo (that's me) and drop spindle kits if I get a move on and make up some spindles.

OK, I guess it was just two announcements. But good ones! I saw this today and got a little dizzy. Or maybe it was loopy? I am so happy for Sheri's success. Anybody out there in the Loopy Sock Club? I can hardly wait for people to start getting their packages for the first installment (early May, I understand)

Knitting Content: The brown ProNaura socks just need to be cast off and then they will be done. Perhaps I will wear them to the Huntington. I have been chipping away at the peppermint socks....

And progress is slow but steady on sock #1. Each block takes about 5 minutes, and I can stand to do 3-5 blocks at a sitting. At this rate, they will be done in time for Christmas / Yule.

I am itching to start a new sweater, but need to finish the gray one first. The cat has been playing with it the last 2 nights - I think this is a warning to knit or get off the pot.

I have finished a good bit of spinning lately, the McKenzie yarn (destined to be hats for Scotland)(they will have to share), and a lot of just white Merino / Tencel blend which is destined for the dyepot. It is amzing how much those Majacraft bobbins hold!

I finally finished "Howl's Moving Castle" last night - after 4 tries. I have decided that 9:30 at night might be too late to start a 2 hour movie, as I conk out half way through. The movie list for this weekend? "Second Sight" (the PBS Mystery! series) with Clive Owen and "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" with Clive Owen and Johnathan Rhys-Meyers. I am turning off the phone until further notice :)

I have also been chipping away at the housework - it is starting to look better and I love having more space. Last night I put out the last of the recycling on the curb for pickup. I bring home all the recycling from work for pickup at home, and sometimes it gets pretty stacked up. The dog has been sleeping in her kennel, and the winter blankets have been relegated to the very very top shelf of the linen cabinet, instead of a heap on the chair. Life is good.

The Weekend Looms... but I will not be working on my loom. Instead I plan to do many other fun things. We have a show, I have some movies coming from Netflix, and I have 5 pounds of Merino /Tencel roving to spin into sock yarn. The movies are Girl With a Pearl Earring and Howl's Moving Castle. I am trying to watch some things that have been on the queue for a year, before the DVDs of Law and Order: Season 6 come in from Netflix.

Charity Knitting. I never do, but now I will. I saw this post today from Sheri at the Loopy Ewe, and am all over knitting fingerless mitts for cold Russians. Do you think customs will let me tuck chocolate into the centers?

We are having Eileen Hallman from New World Textiles come give us a cotton spinning workshop in Riverside on 6/9/07. There are still spaces left, but they have been filling up quickly. This makes me happy. She will be teaching a full day of Charkha 101.

My stupid back is still out of joint, and no amount of massage, yoga, rest, or wriggling is popping it back into place. I am going to have to call a chiropractor after tax time. Any recommendations?

The Long Awaited Pictures:

These are the Trekking ProNatura socks (wool and bamboo) in the "Browns" colorway. I am particularly pleased with the modified basketweave pattern and gave out the instructions to 5 or 6 people up in Visalia. I wish I could take credit for the design, but I got it from Linda at Knit N Stitch. They are nearly done and I am eager to wear them.

This is 2 skeins of Ingeo fiber in the "Sea Oyster" colorway from Barbara Greenstein at Furryarns. I bought it about 4 years ago. The two skeins (spun from 4 batches of top) came out very different shades, so I think I will have to knit alternately from 2 balls of yarn when the time comes.

This is one of four skeins of sock yarn I dyed, spun, and plied from center pull balls (I have a few new gray hairs in honor of that little exercise). I l-o-v-e the way it came out. I could never have planned it, and am surprised I like it so much. I remember what I did to get it, so I hope to have more in my future. Ruthie Pie said I should name it "Tidepool". I don't know a tidepool from a hole in the ground (ha ha), so it sounds good to me.

This weekend my planned spinning is to finish the McKenzie roving (spin and ply) and set it aside until good hat patterns come along, and to spin a truckload of white roving into white yarn so I will have something for the next dyeing session. The next "personal project" spinning after that will be some chocolate baby alpaca for a lace shawl (which pattern, I have not decided). I may ply it up with some Nancy Finn silk dyed in the Moonstone colorway. I am completely in love with spinning this week - and wish my wheel could come with me to math class. That might be pushing my luck, though :)

Straight to Hell. I am going straight to Hell. I totally spaced on pictures of yarn for y'all. Sorry. Tomorrow for sure.

Last night I did get some McKenzie spun up and it is really much prettier than I anticipated. Very sparkly. In math class I managed to knit up the 2nd Browns sock all the way up to the same height as the first one (about 4" in basket weave pattern) before he let us loose. More reviewing - this week is all factoring all the time. Bor-ing. I came home, let the dogs in, fed the guinea pigs, and cracked open a beer - Black Hart brand. I have been looking forward to this beer - the name is nice and the label handsome. However, it was far too bitter for me. Drat. Back to Guinness.

I see on yahoo! that Johnathan Rhys-Davies (pant pant) is going to be in a Showtime production of The Tudors. It makes me want to buy cable service. But instead I went to Netflix and moved all his movies up to the top of my queue. There is even one where he plays opposite Clive Owen. I will not be available by phone or anything else on the day that one comes in - I'm just telling you now.

The Loopy Ewe (see link on sidebar) is updating her stock tonight. Did I mention that my birthday is coming up?

Happy Tuesday! Last night was quite nice. A quiet dinner at Best Thai (ginger delight with chicken and jasmine tea), a few more pages of "Beethoven's Hair" (I am nearing the end), then back home for spinning and tv. Watched a Netflix ("Heat of the Sun" with Trevor Eve *va-va-va-voom*), a Nature special on snow leopards, and then one on regular leopards in southeast asia. Reruns but always nice to look at.

I finished spinning the "Oyster" ingeo and then plied it all. I really like plying the ingeo - no matter how much twist is in it, or how much it kinks up, there is little memory to the fiber and it doesn't ever really tangle like fresh wool singles do. Pictures tomorrow. I will have to make up a gauge swatch and then start looking for tank top patterns to match my gauge.

While I was doing those things, I was also rinsing all the "Tidepool" sock yarn (that I finished plying in Visalia) and hung it up to dry overnight. So cute! Pictures tomorrow.

Tonight is a school night, but before then I am going to go home and start spinning some "McKenzie" from Ashland Bay (which I got from Ruth at the Dizzy Ewe - Ruth, send me your website address and I will put in a link). It is a grayish-bluish merino / silk blend, and is destined to be complementary hats for Pat and myself to wear in Scotland when we go.

I am still amazingly behind in my homework (due solely to laziness on my part), so may head over to the coffee shop after school and get a latte and some work done. We have a test coming up, and then all the assignments will be due. I got a 96 on our last (also the first) test, and tried to argue the 4 points last week. When I checked my work, I got $29.40 instead of $30 (it was a word problem) and I offered to just pay him the 60 cents. That did not work. Dang.

We (The Soap Plantation) have a big exciting announcement to make, but I suppose I should find out if I can spill the beans yet. Stay tuned!! In the meantime, our medium sized exciting announcement is that the shopping cart is up and running, so your 3am soap cravings can finally be satisfied. Woo. We will also be at the West Covina Egg-celebration on Saturday.

Well, it is time to hit the bricks, I think. We had a nice rainstorm for about 20 minutes this afternoon (2:00 to 2:20), and then it was bright and sunny - and windy - again. Hopefully the dogs will be dry.

Who Woulda Thunk?

I have returned from the ASCH conference in Visalia, and a good time was had. I drove thru the desert there and back, and got to see the sun rise on Saturday and set on Sunday. The joshua trees were blooming (joshua trees bloom?) and the swallows were nesting in overpasses (not just in San Juan Capistrano anymore, I guess). I saw 3 golden eagles (one nesting) and a red tailed hawk, redwinged blackbirds and something I think was a grackle. Woo!

I borrowed the audio book "Carry on Jeeves" for the journey and it was a laugh-riot. Just the thing I needed after another rough day at work (Friday). Armed with coffee, banana, and chili cheese Fritos, I had a pleasant drive up to Visalia and arrived about 10 am. I plopped myself down at the Dizzy Ewe booth with my spinning wheel and generally made myself at home.

I chatted up fiber folks, I sold fiber, I chatted up the Spindlicity Cruise, and I tried very hard to resist buying fiber. I am on restriction, you know. I saw lots of people I know and adore, and was generally at my ease for two whole days. I spun 2oz of ingeo on Saturday - it is the 2nd half of the batch I was working on back in December. I have another oz on the bobbin and one left to spin and then that 8oz will be DONE. I also finished plying the "Tide Pool" sock yarn and need to get pictures. I remember the days when I could not spin 2oz in a week, much less in 5 hours.

I did cave and buy some weaving equipment from the nice folks who built my loom (northwest looms) some warping pegs and a stick shuttle. It will be easier to weave thru my stash if I have the proper tools. The next project is a blanket / rug and my boat shuttle is just not up to the task. I managed to resist their gorgeous niddy noddies (I have a small already, but he had large there this time).

The drive home Sunday was just as fine - although I was tired and it got dark around Mojave. No traffic, no idiots, just me and a very large cup of iced tea.

Tonight is dedicated to going to dinner and then directly to bed.

What I Did Over My Summer Break. Well, last night instead of assorted chores. It's a squashed swatch:

Spindled from "Blaze" roving (a merino sheep) on my Bosworth moosie spindle. Navajo plied, knit up on size 6 needles, and bang on gauge.

Someday, it will be this, the Jasmine Sweater from Elsebeth Lavold:

Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Now that I am going to ASCH, I am bouncing around with excitement. I have my book on tape ("Carry on, Jeeves") ready, the wheel is in the car, I am going to pick up roving tonight, I washed my sheep sweater, my yoga mat and new Spin Off are in the car, and I have been doing laundry all week.

I need to get a camera (disposable I suppose), put gas in the car, empty the car of crap (those who know me understand), and turn in my debit card to Mandy for safekeeping. I am, afterall, still on fiber restriction and the Compact.

Knitting
I finished the Delft socks in math on Tuesday and worked in the ends at Knit N Stitch last night, just in time to wear them to yoga. I really like the crazy ways the yarn pooled and I am generally quite pleased. I started sock #2 of the Trekking ProNatura "Browns", and will probably finish the foot tonight in math. Maybe I will even start the the heel. I have sock #1 on hold until I get to the same place in the leg, as I want to use up every inch of the yarn (by working from both ends to the middle). I am feeling the urge to block the Adamas shawl tonight to wear this weekend (NOT over the sheepy sweater), and to get the rest of the yarn spun up to finsish the grey sweater. The sleeves have been crying out piteously from their shelf.

Yoga
... is going well. I have started helping a little behind the desk and that makes me feel good. Also, I get to know more people that way! I plan on doing at least a short form of Ashtanga at 9am on Sunday so I will still be practicing with the group - just from far away. Last night Lama Tsony gave a talk and we had a short meditation and chanting, and it was amazing. So much more fun than I imagined. It gave me a LOT to think about, and now I am really eager to go to a meditation retreat, where before I thought it was a little wierd.

Housekeeping
I went home at lunch and folded laundry. 'Nuff said.

Reading
Trying to finish "Beethoven's Hair". It is a bit boring. And yes, it IS about Beethoven's hair. Go figure.

That's about all for now!

Hate. My. Job. I hope everyone buys lots of fiber so I can quit.

Other than that, things are going well. Tearing thru library books (almost done with "The Boy with Two Heads"), the car is running again thanks to a sparkly new alternator, yoga is relaxing and rewarding even when sweat is running down me, knitting on socks like gangbusters, and did a little laundry this week.

Tonight is an Open Spinning night at the studio (come join us) and I am really looking forward to it. I love chatting and relaxing with everyone. I intend to finish plying the sock yarn tonight - it has been waiting a long time.

After Open Spinning I am trucking down to San Diego to visit Pat and have some (far too much) whiskey and beer. mmmmm. It has been that sort of week. I think a little time in the aviary with the birds will do me good too. Or a nice sit down outside wildcat canyon. I will keep my eyes peeled for new fiber colorways (hmmmm.... i think snow leopard or cape wild dog will be nice).

Then I come home Sunday in time for Ashtanga yoga. I am really ready. I am taking my book down to SD with me so I can do a short form on Saturday morning. And my wheel. Perhpas I can swatch for the next sweater (shhh... don't tell the one that isn't done yet).

Happier already, just thinking about the weekend!

Finally my knitting is near my scanner at work and it is all flat. Here for your viewing pleasure are...

The "Prairie Iris" and baby alpaca fingerless mitts. Someday I may even work in the ends and get to wear them! They are both done, and look pretty much the same. Handspun and navajo plied by yours truly. "Prairie Iris" roving (merino and silk blend) dyed by Capistrano Fiber Arts. This is the same roving I made my Grandma's christmas fingerless mitts out of, so we match!

The Delft Sock (#1) . This is my math class knitting. I finally tried it on today and it is a perfect fit *whew*. The yarn is Opal.

The brown sock (#1). This is Trekking ProNatura yarn. It is a wool and bamboo blend and heaven to work with. Just as nice as wool-tencel. You can't really see it yet, but the leg will be a basketweave pattern. I got this yarn over at Knit N Stitch and I saw that they had some left yesterday. I highly recommend it. They had a grey, a lighter brown-green-yellow, another brown, and a blue.

%3

The Agony and the Exercise

The car - my beloved Batmoblie - died on the way home from RCC last night. Never mind that it had spent the whole day in the shop and received and oil change and new air filter, and I had agreed to $900 in repairs to get the smog system up to snuff.

Turns out the alternator is dead and took the battery with it. $500 just to get it running again, and then they can hook it up to the computer and see what else is going on. It might be fixed today, it might be in hospital until Monday. Or later. I had to leave my spinning wheel behind, but did grab my knitting (Peppermint socks), algebra book, and yoga mat. That should entertain me all weekend. I can walk to yoga, walk to my doctor appt, and take the bus to work (and home tonight).

I had the excitement of being stranded (only 2 blocks from home, blessedly), of needing to push the tank to the curb (and later around the corner), of waiting for the tow truck guy to come rescue me this morning, of arguing with the people who had it yesterday, and of meeting the new people who are going to fix it for me. And on top of it all, wondering where the money will appear from and cancelling my big plans to go to Brawley and the Imperial County Fair with Pat and Naomi.

I am not thrilled, but it could have been worse.

I finished "The Worst Hard Time" last night - it rained. I am excited to Netflix "The Plow that Broke the Plains" as soon as it is available. My reading this morning was "Beethoven's Hair" but it was hard to concentrate while arguing with the repair shop (the bad one) and waiting for the tow truck. I did manage to finish the toe of the 2nd Delft sock and start the foot. We were practicing Determinates and learning Cramer's Rule. Then we left early.

There will be much comfort knitting this weekend, I suspect. And maybe some dish-washing!

Revelations

I broke both my Compact and my Fiber Restriction yesterday when I bought sock yarn. I did buy it from Linda at Knit N Stitch, where I can display the finished socks to help them sell the remainder, so I was able to sleep last night.

I have done no knitting aside from the Delft socks (no picutres again - the socks are in the car which is in the shop) this week. I did finish spinning the last of the sock yarn last night and will ply it up tonight. I still haven't settled on a good big project. I have been using every free minute to read "The Worst Hard Time". It is 1936 and things are still bleak.

Fiber-free news
The car is in the shop today, getting an oil change and being evaluated for a smog check. $1200 to get it to pass. My gods. That is a lot of roving to dye and sell. I have recovered from the shock and am confident I can pay it... eventually.

This weekend I am going to the Imperial County fair with Pat and Naomi. It should be a good time. Pictures if I remember.

Fiber = Freedom.

It sounds so much better than (and carries none of the bad bad bad connotations of) Arbeit Macht Frei, but it is the same principal: if I work hard at my fiber and soap tasks, get the word out, have product avaliable, and spin spin spin, I can quit this lousy job and maybe be happy in the World of Woolcraft.

Boy I hope I don't get sued for that.

Anyway, with a little planning and a lot of work, I really think I can make this happen. I may have to quit school for a while - or go down to one day a week - in order to have the time. There are many ideas churning in my little brain.

Fibery updates:
Sorry there are no pictures - although I have located more batteries for the camera. They are nowhere near the camera, but it is still progress.

The first Delft sock is done - finished in math class last night. I began its mate and am halfway done with the toe. There was a minor incident where I knitted one of the wraps at the wrong time.

The sock yarn (Tide Pool) is nearly done. Unfortunately, it is the same amount of nearly done as it was last week.

The Peppermint socks are still coming along - I have almost finished the first row of rectangles. It is very fiddly knitting. I think they will be cute when they are done. And if they are not, I will wear them anyway after all this work! Or maybe frame them. Or submit them to the Smithsonian.

The Riverspinners schedule is filling out nicely: March at Denise's farm, April at the Huntington Museum and Gardens, and May in Riverside, learning Tunisian Crochet. June is open, and then July is the pool party and flax spinning. Come learn more and /or join our Yahoo group at "Riverspinners", or email me for an invitation. Website soon to be at www.riverspinners.org.

Non Fibery Updates:
I am reading "The Worst Hard Time" right now. It is about the people who (made and) lived in the Dust Bowl of the '30's. Fascinating and sad, extremely well written and engaging.

Yoga is coming along well (except for the 6:30 am sessions - I just can't manage it). I even practiced Ashtanga yesterday morning with the birds (literally - Kiwi was so funny when she hung on upside down during forward bends). I also had a Thai massage this week. It was wierd at first but I really liked it. Email me (if you are local) and I will refer you to Julie.

I went to Trader Joe's Sunday and bought a half dozen different beers (one each) for some sampling. Last night was Oranjeboom night (from Holland). A little too hoppy for my taste, with and unusual bite. Tonight will be Black Toad if I get home early enough. I have 2 new Netflix to watch so it may be a late evening. My crush on Stephen Fry continues with "Cold Comfort Farm" and I also have "Tidelands" directed by Terry Gilliam (of Monty Python fame), which is supposed to be very wierd and disturbing. Might save that for the weekend.

Another week behind me. I managed to make it to class both days, to knitting one day, to yoga 3 times, and weaselled out of the company staff meeting. As long as I can get the rent paid, I am golden. Got a little cleaning done last night, did a little laundry (not enough, as I had a lack-of-pants-emergency this morning), and watched "Kingdom of Heaven" with Orlando Bloom.

I really need to get out of my day job. It's me and Fishy IV against the world.

Made only a small amount of progress on the first Delft sock last night - got thru the last inch of leg and into the ribbing. Then I had to pay attention to the lesson. It did not make me happy.

Tonight is open spinning and I will work on (finish????) the sock yarn. Then yoga in the morning, soap in the afternoon, and the Oxnard Festival of the Whales all day on Sunday.

Hi All,
I have been slammed here at work; no time to blog. Wah. Sorry about the lack of pictures (Marti), but just think of the workout your imagination is getting :)

I am still drifting between projects. Oh yes, I have made 2 tatted and beaded bracelets since Saturday, and just about finished the fingerless mitts, and progress continues on the blue socks and the peppermint socks, but I have no big project to work on. I suppose I should finish up the grey sweater ("Aud") and get spinning for "Jasmine". There is such a lack of spinning time.

The entrelac on the peppermint socks is a big job, but very fiddly, so I can only work on that for a few minutes at a time.

In my non-knitting life, I am going to yoga, still slogging thru algebra (although I have been ignoring my homework), still petting the pets, and have rekindled my romance with the library. Current reading list "Sibleys Field Guide to Western Birds", "The Worst Hard Time", "Beethoven's Hair", and something I forgot the name of. It covers medical curiosities through history; conjoined twins and such.

Spinning classes start up at Knit N Stitch on Wednesday - I am excited and nervous and unprepared. Situation normal.

The beginning of the endings: I finished the body of the Adamas shawl last night and am going to start the 12 rows of the border tonight after my algebra exam. I think I can also finish the Purple Earth socks tonight. I am just about to the casting-off part. I hope I don't leave myself with no airplane knitting. I suppose I could *gasp* bring a book, as the flight is only an hour.

I did no chores last night, but I did ply the demo yarn off my good spindle and watch "Lost". And today I sucked it up and bought my new textbook. So I am not an entirely hopeless case.

Ahhhh, Wednesday. A new Megatokyo comic (things are heating up for our heroes), an actual lunch HOUR, during which I accomplished some knitting, some good news about staffing here at work (it's a secret), and the undying love of Fishy IV.

I am hopelessly behind in my cleaning schedule before I leave for AZ. I hope the petsitter will still be friends with me. I am committing to cleaning pet cages, sweeping everywhere, and taking out the trash.

Math is nearly done. We had an exam last night (I think I did well), then review tonight, then our Final tomorrow, then a whole weekend off before the Spring term begins again on Tuesday. Whew. I am still unreasonably annoyed by people who did not take any of the prerequisites, who flat out refuse to read the book, who don't ask the teacher questions, and who talk during lecture asking me for help / answers. The meek may inherit the earth, but I will be the one who passes math.

The plying for grandma's mittens is nearly complete. I will finish that tonight as I survey my freshly swept kingdom. It looks like I will be knitting them there, which has the upshot of having grandma right there for a fitting.

Knitting has been slow. I am at the ending point of a bunch of things.

• Adamas Shawl: I have decided NOT to play russian roulette with my yarn, and will go directly to the edging after this last row. I have a half row of purling to go and then I need to find my edging chart.
• Purple Earth Socks: At the ribbing and nearly done. They have been languishing for a week now. I need to find my notes so I can figure out where I am. Time to finishing - maybe 6 hours knitting. Probably less.
• Peppermint Socks: 2 feet and heels are finished and languishing. I keep forgetting to look up a pattern for knitting entrelac in the round. At this rate, it will be next Yule before they are done.
• Aud: This is the grey sweater. It is on my next-to-the-bed bookcase. Guess what? It's languishing. I need to spindle some more yarn. I have front back and 2/3 of both sleeves done. A week's hard knitting, maybe. I am in dread of the sewing up, which is probably why I have not been working on it.
• Sock yarn: this has been sold, sight unseen, and unspun too. I love spinning it, but have been sick and tired this last 2 weeks. It is first on the list of spinning projects when I get back from AZ. It makes good movie spinning.
• Lemonfrost Ingeo: One skein (4oz) done. Need to spin the other 4 oz.

Well, that's enough of UFO identification for now. There are a couple other projects half finished which may get frogged, a couple which might get abandoned, a couple which are plain lost, and who knows what else lies in the bottom of the closet...

I just remembered I was supposed to go buy my textbook at lunch today. Dang me. Tomorrow for sure!

I am joining the St. Brigid poetry day out there in blogland (http://www.creatingtextiles.com/). Here is one of my favorite poems, learnt in high school and, amazingly, still committed to memory (mostly). However, I can never remember where I put my cell phone.

Fire and Ice - Robert Frost
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire,
I find with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

I spoke too soon. My cow-orker's cold from last week made its way over to me and I was felled, I say, felled by it Tuesday and Wednesday. No school, no yoga, no spinning, almost no knitting, could barely watch tv. I did a lot of sleeping and snuffling. And laundry. And pushing the cats off of me while I slept. The dogs were happy to have me home. Back to work today and in desperate need of a nap. And some soup.

I did get a few rows in on the Adamas shawl. I have reached the point of being worried about the amount of yarn remaining. I *think* I can get in one more pattern repeat before beginning the edging. I will put in a lifeline at the end of this repeat in case I have to rip back. I hope not.

I have only the ribbing left on Mandy's socks, and it is going slowly. Man, I hate ribbing. Then I need to look up a way to do entrelac in the round for the peppermint socks, and I will be nigh out of sock yarn. I have one skein in reserve, but am not sure I want socks out of it. It might be a pet skein. I need to get spinning and make my own sock yarn. This is spin from my stash year, after all. I also need to get moving on my grey sweater and the Christmas mittens.

I want desperately to start the wool blanket, but have been too wiped to do my weft calculations and measure my warp, much less warp the loom. Perhaps this weekend. I have been reading my weaving books for motivation and guidance. Now I don't know if I am eager to start or frightened I will "mess it up". I don't want to make swatches forever.

I finished the grey-purple BFL and found I do not have the yardage I need to make the shawl I wanted it for. So I need to find a 500 yd pattern for a circular shawl and then spin 1200 yds for the Rona shawl.

OK, I am just muttering now. Must go snooze in the car.